Standing Wooden Statue of Bishamonten (Vaisravana) and His Two Side Chaplains

Chiba Prefecture Designated Tangible Cultural Property (Sculpture)

Designation date March 31, 1954

Location 396 Matsuzaki, Inzai City (Tamonin Temple) 　　

This triad of three statues consists of a standing image of Bishamonten (Vaisravana) as the central deity, and standing images of Kishōuten (Kichijōten) and Zen'nishi Dōji (Zen'nishi Child) as the supporting deities. All three statues have carved eyes and are made of coniferous wood, probably Kaya, with the Bishamonten (Vaisravana) and Kishouten (Kichijōten) made by the way of warihagizukuri and the Zen'nishi Dōji (Zen'nishi Child) made of marquetry. The statues measure 155centimeters high for Bishamonten, 101centimeters for Kishouten and 95centimeters for Zen’nishi-Dōji. The surfaces have been coated with polishing powder, but the statues may have been painted as they were being made.

The Bishamonten and Kishouten statues have inscriptions written in ink inside the womb, and it is known that they were created by a Buddhist image maker, Kenko, in 1289 (Sho'ou 2) during the Kamakura period at the request of the nun Horen and the monk Myokan.

In their respective forms, Bishamonten stands on an evil demon, with his right hand on his waist and holding a Ji in his left hand, looking angrily at the front. Kishouten stands on a square throne, dressed in Chinese garments and with a petal-shaped crown on her head. Zen'nishi Dōji stands on a square throne, his upper body turned slightly to the left in a mizura, his mouth opened in a smile.

The sculptor, Kenko, was active in the second half of the 13th century and there are eight examples of his work in Chiba Prefecture. Of these, four examples, including this one, have been confirmed to exist in Inzai City.

This Buddhist sculpture is a good example of the realism characteristic of the Kamakura period.

InzaiCityEducationBoard